Morocco pulled off a huge upset win over Spain in the World Cup Round of 16 after winning, 3-0, in penalties.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup saw another match end in a penalty kick shootout, and on Tuesday, the underdog came out victorious. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the man of the match, holding Spain without a goal in regulation, extra time and in penalties.
Achraf Hakimi, who was born in Madrid, Spain to Moroccan parents, sealed the win with a Panenka against Spanish goalie Unai Simón. The victory pushed Morocco to its first World Cup quarterfinals in the country’s history, and the win made it the fourth African nation to make it past the Round of 16 — the first since Ghana in 2010.
Heading into Tuesday’s match, 61% of tickets and 38% of the handle were on Morocco to advance past Spain at +260 odds at BetMGM, according to data analyst John Ewing. The odds on that result were +300, +275 and +320 at DraftKings, Caesars and FanDuel, respectively. At the latter sportsbook, a bettor took Morocco to advance to the quarterfinals at +1100 odds. They placed a $90,818.19 wager and won $1,089,818.28, according to Bleacher Report via PropSwap.
Prior to the World Cup group stage, Morocco had +25000 odds to win the tournament. Before its match against Spain, those odds shortened to +10000, and after its win Tuesday, those odds are at +3300. This means a $100 bet on those odds would pay out $3,400, which is another lesson on how crazy the World Cup can be and why its always best to get the best line early.
Morocco will take on the winner of Portugal and Switzerland in the quarterfinals Saturday.
